25 Beers You Need to Drink Before Summer Is Over

An ice-cold beer, still dripping with beads of water from the cooler, is one of the hallmarks of summer. Most of us are used to dipping into that bucket of cheap domestics that you’ll find at any beach party, cookout, or campsite, and there’s no shame in that. But just because it’s summertime doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice flavor in your brew choices.

These days, summer drinking has evolved to new heights. More and more great craft beers are being sold in cans, making them easier than ever to transport up to a rooftop or onto a boat. And people are also realizing that there’s more diversity to seasonal drinking than near-frozen lagers and lemon-crowned wheat beers. Something light-bodied and refreshing may be right for a day in the sun, but when you’re grilling meats at dusk, you might be better off with a porter. And a tart, bubbly saison can add instant swagger to any picnic.

To discover some new ways to tackle summer beer choices, we hit up our panel of experts—including brewers, bar owners, and journalists—to find out what they’ll be drinking this season. We’ve got our work cut out for us.

Dogfish Head Festina Peche

From: Milton, DE
ABV: 4.5%
Samuel Merritt says: I always DFH Festina Peche at this time of year. Lactobacillus bacteria is one of the many small friends that thrives inside of each of our “microbiome,” as Michael Pollan puts it. It also thrives in the making of this variation of the Berliner Weisse style. Sour ales should now be called tart ales as the name is a bit more approachable. Tartness is a quenching thunderbolt of refreshment with this beer, which has just enough peach in play and get the angels dancing on your tongue. Peach angels. I double Dogfish Head dare you to pair it with a mixed fruit tart for dessert at a summer gathering.

Troegs Sunshine Pils

From: Hershey, PA
ABV: Troegs Sunshine Pils
Anthony Fin says: The pilsner is such a simple but hard style to get right. Troegs does a good job of not over-hopping yet still achieving a nice citrus and floral character—it's enjoyable for a non-hophead. The body is a little fuller, which keeps it from being too watered down while still being refreshing. A sure go-to all summer long.

Sixpoint Apollo

From: Brooklyn, NY
ABV: 5.2%
Reid Ramsey says: I can't begin to tell you my love for this beer. You want a crisp, easy drinking hefeweizen? You've found it. It's modeled after the famous Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen (one of the brewers even studied there). Pulling one of the big cans that it comes in out of the ice makes life worth living.

Lambrucha

From: Belgium
ABV: 3.5%
Chris Schonberger says: No beer ever really feels healthy, but this unique hybrid—a blend of Belgian lambic and kombucha tea—comes pretty damn close. It's the brainchild of importers Vanberg & DeWulf, who did intensive testing to figure out how to combine these two living beverages into one exceptional pour. With minimal alcohol content, champagne-like effervescence, and a crisp, lemony tartness, it is the ultimate summer picnic beer. Lounge in the grass for an afternoon with this stuff and you'll see what I mean.

Westbrook Brewing Co. White Thai

From: Mount Pleasant, SC
ABV: 5%
Julian Kurland says: This beer is popping up all over New York right now, and for very good reason. Simply put, it's fucking good. A South Carolina interpretation of the classic Belgian witbier, the beer is perfect for summer. The usual orange peel and coriander profile is replaced with lemongrass and ginger—refreshing, spicy, and 100% delicious.

Maine Beer Company MO

From: Freeport, ME
ABV: 6%
Julian Kurland says: An absolutely outstanding beer for anytime of the year, MO really shines in the summer. This bright and refreshing American Pale Ale showcases a wonderful citrus body, complemented by pine and grapefruit from the addition of Simcoe and Falconer's Flight hops. It's bright and intricate without being overcomplicated. A wonderful beer from an incredible brewery.

Anchorage Brewing Co. Galaxy White IPA

From: Anchorage, AK
ABV: 7%
Michael Lovullo says: This 7% White IPA is brewed hopped (and dry-hopped) exclusively with Galaxy hops. Coriander, kumquats, and peppercorns add additional flavor and spicy complexity. It is then fermented and aged in French oak foudres with a wit yeast to bring forth a refreshing acidity before being bottle conditioned with Brettanomyces and wine yeast. Complex, refreshing, and with a little spice, this is a perfect ale for light summer fare, or to drink alone.

Bell's Oberon

From: Kalamazoo, MI
ABV: 5.8%
Chris Schonberger says: Some people here summer beer and think of the beach, but I'm more likely to get out into the woods to cool down. I've only been to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan once, but it's the type of place I always feel like escaping to when the city gets stifling—the shade of trees, kayaks on sparkling lakes, all that jazz. Bell's Olberon is the beer you drink in the woods in Michigan on a summer's day, or whenever you're stuck someplace else but want to transport yourself there through the power of beer. It's a refreshing, super-smooth wheat beer with a bit of a spicy hop character to keep things interesting. Best enjoyed with your feet dangling into some cold water.

GreenFlash Rayon Vert

From: San Diego, CA
ABV: 7%
Justin Philips: Really a versatile beer year-round, Rayon Vert is particularly well suited to warm-weather drinking with its crisp bitterness, explosive carbonation, and incredible aroma. More for texture than anything else, it's exciting to drink—mouth-filling, but not heavy in the least.

Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier

From: Freising, Germany
ABV: 5.4%
Jeff Gorlechen says: My favorite summer beer is Weihenstephaner Hefe. One of the best beers on the planet. The fastest half-liter you will ever drink. If you don't like this, either your tongue is broken, you are a snob who says they don't drink wheat beer, or you have a really bad cold.

Sierra Nevada Summerfest

From: Chico, CA
ABV: 5%
Jimmy Carbone says: This is Sierra's crisp, dry lager. On a hot Sunday, I remember picking it up at corner deli—I wanted something lighter than an IPA, but with full flavor and some hops. It delivered. For a really refreshing summer beer at a deli, you might think you have to go for a Presidente or a Corona. But the Summerfest got me through the heat wave—one six pack at a time!

Brouwerij Bosteels Tripel Karmeliet

From: Buggenhout, Belgium
ABV: 8.4%
Julian Kurland says: Light with a creamy and delicate body, Tripel Karmeliet is a wonderful summer beer. The nose of vanilla and citrus lends perfectly to a hot summer day. It's also backed by very fine carbonation, resulting in a very refreshing and almost champagne-like beer.

Oskar Blues Mama's Little Yella Pils

From: Lyons, CO
ABV: 5.3%
Julian Kurland says: An old standby has been updated. Recently debuted, Mamas Little Yella Pils has been released in a 19.2-ounce can. Let me repeat that for you: 19.2 ounces of wonderfully delicious Czech-style pilsner. The relatively low ABV (5.3%) and low IBUs make this ultimate beer to sip while at your backyard BBQ or down at the beach.

Reissdorf Kolsch

From: Cologne, Germany
ABV: 4.8%
Michael Lovullo says: Weighing in at 4.8% ABV, this is one of my absolute favorite beer for summer (and also year-round). It's something of a hybrid style, using an ale yeast that gives off a beautiful biscuity and fruity aroma, then going through a cold maturation period of up to six weeks that gives it the clean crisp finish of a lager. I was first turned on to this from Andre Wechsler of Wechsler's Currywurst in the East Village where you have the option of drinking it from a .2L flute glass. The reasoning behind it is that Reissdorf Kolsch is meant to be drunk cold and crisp, a difficult feat when you're at the bottom of a liter mug.

Brouwerij 't Gaverhopke Koerseklakske

From: Harelbeke-Stasegem, Belgium
ABV: 5.5%
Julian Kurland says: Low in alcohol, this beer is the ultimate summer session beer. A Belgian saison using Brettanomyces, it is as thirst-quenching as it is delicious. Lemon and citrus come through while the Brett showcases wonderful floral and earthy undertones.

Sierra Nevada Porter

From: Chico, CA
ABV: 5.6%
John Holl says: With a lighter body than the color dictates, and easier-drinking than its 5.6% ABV suggests, this classic beer begs to be served along with grilled meats. Roasty notes complement that savory char on steak better than most ales. Hints of chocolate make it great for after dinner as well. Try icing it down close to the freezing mark and drinking right from the bottle. It makes even the hottest of days more bearable.

Anderson Valley El Steinber Dark Lager

From: Boonville, CA
ABV: 5%
Reid Ramsey says: When you're sitting in the heat, or on the beach, or on a boat, it's not the time to sort through a complex beer. However, let's not sacrifice flavor. My first choice is Anderson Valley El Steinber Dark Lager. The dark lager is full of flavor, yet not heavy on the palate—the flavor you want from a craft beer in the heat, but not overwhelming. The California brewery just released this beer in tallboy cans, so you can take them anywhere.

Dieu du Ciel! Rosée D'hibiscus

From: Montreal, Canada
ABV: 5.9%
Michael Lovullo says: I am typically not a wheat beer drinker, but Rosee d'Hibiscus really hits the spot. Brewed by Montreal's own Dieu du Ciel!, this 5% wheat ale gets its rose color from the hibiscus flowers added during the brewing process. The aromas and flavor of this tropical flower are very prominent in the beer, giving it a slight acidity and a very agreeable fragrance. It is the perfect thirst quencher on a hot summer day.

De La Senne Taras Boulba

From: Brussels, Belgium
ABV: 4.5%
Michael Lovullo says: This is one of the most refreshingly hoppy Belgian ales I've ever had. Loaded with complex yeast flavors, hopped to perfection, and as drinkable as any beer you've ever tried. At 4.5% alcohol, it's built for drinkability on hot summer days.

Great South Bay Brewing Robert Moses Blood Orange Pale Ale

From: Bay Shore, NY
ABV: 5%
Samuel Merritt says: My number one favorite summer beer right now is the Blood Orange Pale Ale from Great South Bay Brewing on Long Island. I squeeze fresh OJ every morning (reminds me of mashing in beer) and I love American pale ales, so I feel like they made the BOPA just for my face. You can taste that refreshing juiciness of the blood orange throughout this beer. Pale ales are wonderful as is, but this beer just nails the balance of citrus and acidity while still maintaining a structure that is everything an American pale ale should be, including maltiness. She’s a damn pretty beer as well.

Oxbow Brewing Co. Space Cowboy Country Ale

From: Newcastle, ME
ABV: 4%
Dave Broderick says My favorite summer beer is a dry, thirst quenching saison, which was traditionally brewed in the winter for farm hands to quaff during the summer, when they were out in the fields. And it just so happens that Oxbow Brewing, up in Maine, happens to make an ideal American-style version with their Space Cowboy Country Ale. It comes in at 4% ABV, so it won't set you back if you find yourself imbibing in the hot sun. It's basically an English mild fermented with a saison yeast, and it just screams summer.

Sierra Nevada Hoptimum
Imperial IPA

From: Chico, CA
ABV: 10.4%
Ale Sharpton says: So yes, there are some beautifully crafted ales and lagers hitting the stage that are celebrated particularly during the hot months because they’re light in the pants in terms of potency and body, which is ideal for high-volume consumption in the sun. But I'm still keeping it on haymaker level when it comes to my summer selection. Look for arguably the heavyweight champ of double IPAs—Sierra Nevada’s phenomenally gangster Hoptimum IPA— weighing in at 10.4% ABV and 100 IBUs [read: very bitter]. Extravagantly hopped with whole-cone goodness, booming with an amazing nose, and perfectly balanced (yet still intense), hop heads nationwide are salivating for its June release. I’m evidently one of ‘em.

Newburg Brewing Co. Von Steuben’s Gose

From: Newburgh, NY
ABV: 3.6%
Samuel Merritt says: Newburgh Brewing Company Von Steuben’s Gose is an amazing, interesting, and approachable summer refresher. The German gose style is obscure, but so was Gatorade at one time. It’s spiced with our familiar friend coriander, but also salt. On a hot sweaty summer day, salt is our friend. When you talk of putting salt in the beer, the conversation always finds its way to, how much do you put in? The answer is in this beer, and it’s just enough. In my opinion, which you should not care about at all when choosing a beer for yourself, too many beers are over-seasoned with one seasoning—namely, the hop—and it is beginning to bore me. Hey, go nuts on the hops yourself, it’s your face, but trust me, this beer will show you what a pinch can do. If that’s not enough, our friends the lactobacillus bacteria are here to provide quenching tartness. Also, it’s a philanthropic beer helping to preserve General George Washington’s headquarters in Newburgh on the Hudson River. Good on ya’, Newburgh!

Carton Boat Beer

From: Atlantic Heights, NJ
ABV: 4.2%
Julian Kurland says: Ever wish you could drink all day long and not get stinking drunk after three or four beers? Your answer lies in Carton Boat Beer, a phenomenal session American pale ale. Its perfect for summer. The beginning taste is a hint of grapefruit, leading into a clean and refreshing palate that finishes just a little bit piney. It also leaves you wanting another beer—okay, maybe a few more.
Jimmy Carbone says: my favorite summer beer going on year two—Carton Boat Beer, a hoppy session beer. Take it on a boat, and drink it at Jimmy's No. 43 all summer too.

Peekskill Simple Sour

From: Peekskill, NY
ABV: --
Anthony Fin says: The name pretty much says it: It is a slightly milder version of a German Berliner Weiss. The wheat malt gives it some nice mild bready notes. The body is light. It's got a nice tight but mild sourness. It's not too overbearingly nor underwhelmingly sour—just the right balance, making it nice and refreshing for the summer. Another Peekskill gem.

Latest News

Now Trending

FIRST WE FEAST participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means FIRST WE FEAST gets paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites. Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive.